Mama Cax Shares How Losing a Leg Didn’t Make Her Feel Any Less Beautiful (VIDEO)

In case you were about to, don't. Don't feel sorry for Mama Cax—she's a badass no matter how many legs she has. When the lifestyle blogger was just 15 and battling both lung and bone cancers, she needed to have one of her legs amputated—the chemotherapy she was receiving wasn't doing enough. Originally, though, doctors gave Mama Cax a choice: amputate her right leg or replace her right hip. She went with the latter, but after her body rejected the prosthetic hip, leg amputation became the only option. Today though, Mama Cax walks proudly with the help of a prosthetic leg and two forearm crutches. You've probably seen her pictures while trolling through your Instagram Explore page, serving up some fierce looks.

But it wasn't like Mama Cax always had her Instagram Explore–worthy confidence—in college, Mama Cax tried her best to hide her prosthetic leg under long dresses and skirts. "I used to be really paranoid that people were staring at me and trying to figure out why one of them is smaller than the other one," she tells Allure. Some time later, Mama Cax decided to post a picture of her legs uncovered on social media, and the sheer volume of people who came out to vocalize their support—especially for her bravery—surprised her. Now, at 26, Mama Cax truly realizes she's a total badass and "amputee" is only a label, just as much as "woman" is.

In the latest video from our "Dispelling Beauty Myths" series, watch Mama Cax talk about her dating life post-amputation, learning how enough she truly is, and how she is embracing her label of "amputee."